Wraith
The Wraith is a terran space superiority fighter that has seen extensive use throughout the history of engagements in the Koprulu sector. Overview The Confederacy used the Wraith in 2485 at the beginning of the Guild Wars. These Wraiths had access to laser weapons.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 1416-55083-6. By 2499, the Wraith was still considered the newest in a line of space superiority fighters. Traditionally, most space battles had taken place between capital ships and smaller gunships. However, Tarsonian technicians found that small, dynamic high-speed fighters could repeatedly deal damage to large ships while evading most defensive battery attacks. They primarily use missiles for their air/space attacksUnderwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. but could also use lasers for air/space targets. Against ground targets however, their lasers lacked punch.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1-4165-5083-9. Known for their maneuverability,Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5. piloting a Wraith was no small task however, and aspiring Colonial Fleet Wraith pilots already had to be certified combat pilots before gaining access to the new craft.Space Fleet. Accessed on 2008-01-28 Wraith pilots were typically "lionized" in a manner similar to destroyer captains.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. The Wraith's prominence diminished after the Brood War as the conflict revealed several critical weaknesses in terran anti-air capability and Wraith's design itself: combined Wraith/Valkyrie squadrons were an unwieldy combination against agile zerg airborne organisms.The Viking was developed as a more versatile anti-air craft, which could better fulfill the role Wraiths were originally intented for.Viking. Accessed on 2008-01-28 With the development of the AH/G-24 Banshee, the Wraith lost it's anti-ground role to the new dedicated ground support craft, equipped with Wraith cloaking systems to boot.Banshee. Accessed on 2008-01-28 Despite the advances in technology, Wraith squadrons were still maintained by the Terran Dominion until 2503Golden, Christie. StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Pocket Star Books, May 2007. ISBN 0-7434-7125-3.Golden, Christie. StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #2: Shadow Hunters. Pocket Star Books, November 27, 2007. ISBN 0-7434-7126-1.Elder, Josh and Ramanda Kamarga. "Why We Fight." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1, pp. 6–47. Tokyopop, August 1, 2008. ISBN 1427-80721-3.Furman, Simon (w), Tomás Aira (p, i), German Erramouspe (i). "Creep." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 2 (paperback binding), pp. 26-67. Tokyopop, January 1, 2009. ISBN 1427-80831-7. with the Dominion placing restrictions on the augmentations allowed on privately-owned Wraith fighters.Golden, Christie. StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Pocket Star Books, May 2007. ISBN 0-7434-7125-3. They went out of service within the same year, no longer part of the Dominion Armed Forces. However, the mercenary group Raynor's Raiders still has access to Wraith fighters.2008-17-10, Q&A: The Starcraft II Brain Trust. Giant Bomb News. Accessed on 2008-20-10 Wraiths are capable of both atmospheric and deep space flight,Neilson, Micky. StarCraft: Uprising. New York and Toronto, Ontario: Pocket Books, December 2000. ISBN 0-7434-1898-0 (eBook only). can withstand entry through a planet's atmosphereMesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5. and are capable of travelling at super-sonic speeds. It is generally a given that Wraiths will be attached to capital ships, as they lack the ability to make jumps through warp space. Variants Quite a few variants of the Wraith exist. Known variants include; CF/A-17 Wraith The CF/A-17 Wraith is the earliest known Wraith model, acting as the basis for all later variants. However, it has been supplanted by the CF/A-17G variant (see below). It is armed with Gemini Air-to-Air Missiles. CF/A-17G Wraith The CF/A-17G Wraith is an upgraded version of its A-17 predecessor and for all intents and purposes, represents the 'standard' Wraith. Its design was spurred by the lack of an effective terran air-to-ground unit below battlecruiser weight. As such, the G variant was designed featuring a 25mm burst laser in addition to Gemini missiles, for attacks against ground targets. The CF/A-17G also features other upgrades. Equipped with the latest in ECM and stealth technology,Wraith. StarCraft Compendium. Accessed on 2008-01-28 the G variant features a built-in cloaking field which runs off the fighter's main power supply. The CF/A-17G is also capable of hovering, and equipped with a computer system which, among other functions, can key in on heat signatures and is compatible with an energy shield. Wraiths with lasers were in use by 2485 (fighting at the first battle of the Guild Wars) and specifically identified by 2490. DF/A-19 Wraith The DF/A-19 Wraith Mk2 is an upgraded version of the CF/A-17G, possessing greater resilience and more powerful weapons without the loss of speed. The DF/A-19 was used by the mercenary group, "Unholy" Tara's Stalkers.1999-03-26. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Mercenaries (in English). Map Archives: Mercenaries. StarCraft Compendium Map Archives. Game Unit StarCraft |cooldown=*30 (ground) *22 (air) |armor= |speed= |range=5 |sight=7 |detect= |parent= |addons= |evolvesto= |produce= |allows= |research= |ability= |structure= |hero= |campaign= |npc= |cancel= |nocat= |concatbott= }} The Wraith is best against large-sized air targets. With the Apollo Reactor a Wraith can remain cloaked for over 3.5 minutes. The ground attack and cloak make Wraiths useful for harassing the workers of poorly defended expansions. They're also useful for picking out lone units scouting before the opposition can react. Wraiths, however, have a weak ground attack, are fairly fragile against most units, and easily damaged. While this is compensated with the cloaking ability, Wraiths are not very massable due to their cost. Abilities Upgrades Quotations :See: Wraith Quotations File:Wraith SC1 Game2.png|StarCraft wireframe File:Wraith SC1 HeadAnim1.gif|StarCraft portrait. Development Phoenix]] During development, the Wraith was known as the Phoenix.Lord of Ascension. 2007-09-28. StarCraft Evolution. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-12-02. In the StarCraft alpha the craft had a different appearance2009-03-19, StarCraft Wire. Artist: Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2010-01-19 In the StarCraft beta, while the original name was retained, the craft had an appearance identical to its end successor.2009-03-19, StarCraft Wire. Artist: Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2010-01-19 Both versions of these craft had Gemini missiles. The name has since been adopted by a StarCraft II protoss unit.Blizzard Entertainment. Phoenix, Blizzard Entertainment, Retrieved 2007-09-06. StarCraft II The Wraith has been replaced by the Viking in the anti-air role, while the Banshee is far superior in the ground attack role and inherits the Wraith's cloaking ability. The Wraith appears in the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty campaign as a "classic" unit. It is unlocked by playing the mission Engine of Destruction, available after Rory Swann was able to procure them for Raynor's Raiders.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Engine of Destruction (in English). 2010-07-27. The Wraith can be upgraded to be built with an extra 100 energy, and a Displacement Field that allows the Wraith to avoid 20% of attacks when cloaked. Upgrades '' campaign|left]] Known Units *Wraith Squadron Bravo Known Craft *Wraith One Fox Three Known Pilots *Colonel Tom Kazansky *Lieutenant Sela Brock *Lieutenant Charlie Vane *Lieutenant Wang *Corporal Dunsil *Harley *Lars Trakken References ru:Стелс Category:Terran starship classes Category:StarCraft II Terran campaign units Category:StarCraft Terran units